


Killing With Kindness

by SentinelWolf



Category: Vampyr (Video Game)
Genre: Begrudging Mutual Respect, Bonding Time???, Geoffrey Does A Stupid, Hurt/Comfort, Jonathan has a Crush, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:13:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25282159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SentinelWolf/pseuds/SentinelWolf
Summary: My tiny fic contribution for the Vampyr Discord's Birthday Gift Exchange.When McCullum is injured while attempting to do Jonathan in, the vampiric doctor insists on helping him.
Relationships: Geoffrey McCullum/Jonathan Reid
Comments: 2
Kudos: 115
Collections: Vampyr Discord 2nd Birthday Gift Exchange (2020)





	Killing With Kindness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [adirtysilver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/adirtysilver/gifts).



> I know that it's not much, but I hope you enjoy it just the same.

Luck had not been on Jonathan's side this evening. His gathering of samples for research was continually hampered by the Guard of Priwen at his heels. It was as if they knew every place in the city that he would visit, so numerous they were. No matter how many times he dodged fighting them, only retaliating when necessary, they continued to dog him with fervor.

In spite of his best efforts, he'd been unable to convince his enemies of his good intentions; his mission to create a cure for those infected by the Blood of Hate. Those who were still among the living needed to be protected. 

The harried doctor paused on the roof of a decaying building, checking his bag to ensure that none of the vials of blood taken from the infected had not been damaged. As he closed his bag, he heard the soft sound of creaking wood behind him, almost drowned out by the pattering of falling rain.

“You've become quite the climber, McCullum” Jonathan said as he turned to face his adversary and the perpetual scowl the man seemed to wear. It was surprising that he hadn't been shot at yet – perhaps the wet environment had the hunter taking things slow.

The pair of them had done this dance many times, nearly every night. It mattered not that Reid was the one vampire who refused to fight unless cornered; where ever he went, Priwen's Captain would chase after him, always seeking opportunity to do him in. 

Yet, Jonathan did not find himself irritated by Geoffrey's pursuit. If anything, his stubbornness was amusing, even admirable. After all, he was only determined to protect citizens from the vampire threat – and he was a powerful vampire, regardless of his intentions.

“Stop running and fight me, ya toffee-nosed prick” McCullum demanded, his demeanor charming as always. He was slightly out of breath from chasing after Reid, but he still stood tall and ready to brawl, with his sword in hand. Already having exhausted his ranged ammunition, melee was the only way forward, and that suited him just fine.

“No. We've been over this already” Jonathan sighed, unable to keep the fatigue out of his tone. “I'm trying to develop a cure, and every hour I waste dealing with you, is one less hour I can spend on research. We want the same thing. There is no sense in us fighting.”

“Yes, this precious research you're conducting. Just like your friend Swansea was – it's all for the greater good, yeah?” McCullum shifted his stance, preparing to attack, and Jonathan tensed in anticipation. This was a very unsafe place to try and fight somebody; but only one of them was in grave danger if they fell.

“Don't be foolish, McCullum. This is not the time or place to-”

When his enemy charged at him, Jonathan shadow-stepped to one side, only to find that the charge was a feint and be met with the swing of the broadsword. His unnaturally quick reflexes still allowed him to avoid taking the brunt of the attack, only suffering a superficial cut to his arm. 

A second strike followed, and when he dodged again, McCullum's sword struck against the already rotten wood beneath their feet. There was a loud groaning as the building shuddered and began to give way, leaving the pair of them scrambling for secure footing.

A thunderous crash sounded as the roof caved in, sending a flurry of debris into the air, the dust dampened by the falling rain. Jonathan, having jumped to another building several meters away, was unscathed. Geoffrey had not been so fortunate in the wake of his bad decision.

Lying on his back on the debris below, the vampire hunter groaned as he attempted to sit up, only to be met with sharp pain in his gut. His sword lay several feet away, out of reach. Determined not to be left unarmed, he struggled to inch his way toward his weapon, in spite of his injuries. 

Jonathan's vampire instincts immediately pulled at him, urging him to move in and finish off this vulnerable prey. As always, he fought to push those thoughts aside, and shadow stepped down onto the unsafe flooring, anxious to get them both away before it collapsed as well. The blood dripping from the other man's wounds were bright red in his vision, as other colors became dull.

“Stop moving, McCullum” he instructed, his medical training taking over as he stepped closer and knelt down. “I'll take you somewhere safer and see to your wounds.” 

“Are you having a laugh right now?” Geoffrey looked up at his adversary disdainfully, his breathing labored. “Get the fuck away from me.”

While Geoffrey continued to drag himself to his sword, Jonathan took the liberty of picking up the weapon and handing it back to it's owner. Geoffrey was surprised, taking back his blade, which now was painful to lift. Instead of attacking, he returned it to it's scabbard. 

Jonathan took this opportunity to pick him up into his arms, ignoring the complaints and weak attempts at struggling he made. With his unwilling patient in tow, he moved them both swiftly through the shadows, returning to one of his better-hidden safe houses.

Geoffrey was placed upon the damp bed, his struggling thankfully having been short-lived. The vampire hadn't sunk his teeth into him yet, but that didn't mean he was going to let his guard down. He kept his gaze fixated on the leech while he rifled through the beaten up dresser in one corner, removing medical supplies from within. 

“I thought that you might appreciate being tended to in privacy” Jonathan said calmly, not reacting to the agitation he could sense in McCullum. He brought the instruments over to the bedside table and set them down gently. “I'm a Doctor first and foremost, you know.”

“I don't need your help” McCullum hissed, once again trying to move and only being met with searing pain. He knew that he was indisposed at the moment, but the didn't stop his every instinct from screaming at him to get away. He couldn't just lie there and submit to his enemy.

“Geoffrey, _please_ be still” Jonathan asked, his tone still calm but firm. As much as he wanted to, he could not do anything for the wounds if his patient was going to fight him at every turn.

The Irishman was once again surprised by the sudden familiarity. While not happy about it, obviously, even he could not keep up the energy required to fight. Spirit would only carry him so far, and in spite of his survival instincts, he was tired. He hadn't realized how much he'd bled. The way that Reid carried himself, and the tone of his voice, it seemed as if he really did intend to heal instead of hurt.

“Try anything funny and I'll flay the skin off ya” Geoffrey growled his threat, which served no purpose but to make him feel better about being in a helpless position.

“You may do as you please, although I don't think that I'd make a very handsome throw rug” Jonathan responded with some levity in the face of McCullum's grit. He was thankful that he could proceed with treating him now that he'd ceased being so stubborn.

He began by administering a shot of morphine for the pain; he always kept some sanitized tools at the ready. McCullum could tolerate the pain well enough for the moment, but once he started working, it would be much worse. 

Drawing back the bloodied shirt, or what remained of it, Reid beheld a chunk of wood that had splintered and pierced into his rival's abdomen. It would be very dangerous if it had perforated internal organs. Only one way to find out.

“This is going to be painful – do your best not to move, alright?” he warned, his bedside manner having to be followed even if his patient was unappreciative.

“Just get it done” McCullum growled softly, laying back and staring at a spot on the ceiling. He was no stranger to pain and injury; he could handle it. The average man couldn't hold a candle to some of the pain he'd endured.

After cleaning the area as best he could with some iodine, Jonathan carefully removed the wooden splinter, cringing as the new blood flow caused his vision to become awash with red. He had to work quickly now, and his instinct to kill was tormenting his every moment. Geoffrey was paralyzed by the pain and wouldn't be able to stop him, if he chose to give in to those dark urges. 

While doing everything he could to stem the bleeding, he checked for damage to the organs and stray splinters of wood before he began stitching the wound closed. Nothing had been pierced, thank goodness. The coppery scent of blood had his mouth watering, but he didn't allow it to disrupt his focus. He'd closed many wounds, and this one was no different. 

It didn't matter that he was now a vampire, and this man wanted him dead. It made no difference at all. He'd never have harmed anyone if he could've helped it.

Jonathan found it mildly surprising that Geoffrey hadn't assaulted his ears with vulgarities during the process; not that he would have blamed him. The only sounds he'd made were quiet and subdued. He found it admirable that he could endure that much agony and not vocalize more. It had him wondering just how used to pain the man was.

“Your organs are undamaged” he explained as he dressed the wound carefully, his touch gentle on the sore flesh. “You need to rest for at least a month, understand? No chasing after me, no climbing, no heavy lifting. Give your body time to heal.”  
  
“I've got things to do, I've no time to lay about. There's Medics to keep an eye on me if I need them.”

Determined not to spend any more time than necessary in the presence of the enemy, McCullum immediately tried to sit up, and was met by the vampire's firm hands pushing him back down on the bed.

“Rip those stitches, and I shall be cross” he warned, his fangs showing ever slightly, though he didn't realize it. “Just rest... And before you accuse me of wanting to eat you, I'd have done it already if that were my intention. You know that.”

The vampire hunter growled in annoyance, unable to argue with the doctor's logic. He was also unable to deny how tired he really was; chasing leeches, blood loss, and drugs all culminated in exhaustion. It felt good to have his eyes closed.

“Fine. I'll let you have it your way, if you're that bothered about it. Just keep your distance.”

As soon as he allowed himself to relax, sleep came to Geoffrey quickly. It was a dreamless sleep that afforded him the rest he so badly needed, at least for the time being. Normally he was not one for getting enough sleep; he kept himself going on spirit and lots of coffee. Holding a human body to a supernatural standard was a self-destructive path, but it was the only one he had.

Being that there was a bit of time before sun rise, Jonathan stepped out of the hideout to procure a few items; namely the bag of samples he'd left behind for the sake of carrying Geoffrey. As was his habit, he intended to make sure that his patient ate and drank when they eventually woke up, getting their body the nutriment that it needed to heal. Speaking of which...

It had been many hours since he had last fed on anything, and the temptation of working on a freely bleeding patient had left him with a painful hunger gnawing at his insides. He would need to locate some sustenance for himself as well, before the sun sent all the night creatures scurrying back into their holes, himself included. Rats for dinner again...how despicable. 

As the first rays of amber light crept up over the horizon, Doctor Reid returned to the hideaway where Geoffrey still slept soundly. Having found the items he was after and ensured that the place was as secure was it could be, he at last allowed himself to sink into an armchair, seeking some rest of his own. If fortune smiled, his nemesis would not wake up and skewer him while he was asleep.

Jonathan's rest was not a dreamless one; his mind fixated upon the primal instincts he had so stubbornly ignored that evening. His sleep was filled with dreams of all the many ways he could have ended the life of Priwen's leader. Without having experienced it, his brain could still guess at what it would be like to finally sink his fangs into McCullum's exposed throat, to feel his sweet, hot blood on his tongue. To hear all the sounds he made while he struggled in vain to escape his fate.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Early the next evening, Jonathan woke up with an unusually warm feeling coursing through his body. Not pausing to think about it, he stood up out of the chair and stretched, his body slightly stiff from sleeping upright. Although McCullum was still asleep, he'd probably come around soon.

Moving to the small iron stove in the corner, Jonathan found enough flammable material to light a small fire within. He found a saucepan lying around and cleaned it up as best he could, placing it on the stove and filling it with a chicken soup from a tin that he'd brought the previous night. The smell of it revived memories of his childhood, and he lamented silently that he could no longer consume normal foods.

The scent of the soup seemed to bring his patient out of his slumber. Geoffrey stirred in the bed, groaning as he slowly pushed himself into an upright position. Being reminded that the previous night was not a dream had him in a grumpy mood (as if he had any other moods to speak of). He looked over at Jonathan with his usual scowl, veiled by drowsiness.

“Reid...? You cooking?” he asked, rubbing his eyes and trying to get them to focus better. Was the vampire seriously making him breakfast...dinner, whatever meal? The whole situation was bizarre.

“Heating. I'm afraid that I'm not able to cook much on my own. The end result of always having someone else to cook for me.”

Jonathan brought over the pot of heated soup and a worn but clean spoon, which he offered to the perplexed hunter. Geoffrey accepted them, but seemed to inspect them with suspicion, as if he still could not fathom that a leech wasn't trying to kill him.

“Chicken and veg soup... You poison it with something?”

“You can't be serious. After everything I've done...” the doctor pinched the bridge of his nose with a tired sigh, then hearing what may have been a very subdued chuckle.

“Relax. I'm screwing with you.” Geoffrey dug into the soup hungrily; his appetite was quite healthy, bodily injury notwithstanding. After the rapid consumption of his meal, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked back at Jonathan again. “You got any coffee or whiskey in your bag of tricks?”

Jonathan, who was still reeling from the fact that his nemesis had attempted a joke, raised his eyebrows at the request.

“Caffeine and alcohol will dehydrate you – you need fluids after losing all that blood.” He took the pot and spoon from his patient and presented him with a canteen of water. “Hold back on the Irish coffee for a little while, hm?”

Geoffrey grumbled softly as he took the canteen and chugged the contents before returning it. His nemesis had treated his life-threatening injury and was feeding him afterward, with a side of gentle lecturing. This was more care than he'd received from most human beings he dealt with, and he still didn't know what to make of it. Things were easier when he could just assume all leeches were monsters that needed to be put down, but he couldn't ignore evidence to the contrary. Had he really misjudged Reed? He fucking hated being wrong.

“Don't know why you're helping me... Are all doctors they deployed in the war a bunch of mother hens, or is it just you?” he asked, his tone still aloof, but his body language betraying a hidden interest. “Working men survive on coffee, liquor, and cigarettes. Easier to find than food and medicine. You should know that.”

“Because I believe that you're a good man, and I got into this profession because I desire to help people. If that counts as being motherly, then I suppose that I am guilty as charged.” Jonathan was pleasantly surprised that the two of them were actually having a conversation that bordered on cordial. It was the friendliest exchange they'd had since their meeting months ago. “I'm also aware of working men's habits, but that doesn't exclude the possibility of being healthier when one can. Especially when recovering from an injury.”

“Well how can I argue with that?” Geoffrey said as he rolled his eyes. Doctor Reid was somehow more irritating when he was doing the whole gentle scolding thing.

Having had his fill of his enemy's company for the time being, the vampire hunter swung his legs around the edge of the bed and attempted to stand. Unsurprisingly, he was stopped by the vampire doctor, prompting an annoyed sigh.

“Let me change your dressing before you leave” Jonathan stated, not really requesting permission. Geoffrey just grunted and laid back again, not seeing the point in arguing – the man was pushy when it came to administering his medical aid. The bandages were getting itchy anyway.

Jonathan peeled off the bloodied gauze and cleaned the sutured area, gently prodding to check how the wound was closing. It would continue to bleed for a while until fully sealed. He applied a clean bandage and allowed McCullum to at last get to his feet again.

Geoffrey stretched his limbs, cringing slightly at the soreness in his side. Jonathan went to reach for the morphine, but Geoffrey shook his head.

“I can handle myself without drugs. I need to stay awake and that shit puts me out like nothing else.” 

“Yes, you do seem to handle pain rather well” Jonathan said as the pair of them moved to the door and stepped out into the dark of night. “I suspect that you've suffered worse injuries than this in your lifetime.”

“You suspect right. It'll take more than a spike in my belly to do me in. I don't have time to lie in bed; I have work to do. My boys will be starting to wonder where I've gone.” 

There was a moment of quiet between them as they stood there, both contemplating what the past 24 hours might mean for their 'relationship' in the long run. They both understood that the leader of Priwen couldn't just declare a single vampire to be Good, or off-limits. It would conflict with the core of their values as an organization. To that end, did their interaction here truly mean nothing at all?

Whatever their individual thoughts were on the subject, neither spoke them aloud.

“So, please remember what I said, and take care of yourself” Jonathan said, finding the silence had become awkward. “I don't expect you to be my friend, but I do expect you to make a full and proper recovery.”

“Heh... you're a funny cunt, Reid.” Geoffrey gave another subdued chuckle and began to walk away. “We'll run into each other again, sooner than you think.”

Brushing aside the vulgarity, Jonathan chose to take the words as a compliment. He wasn't certain what it was exactly, but something about the scowl Geoffrey regarded him with had changed. It had softened somehow. 

Perhaps things would be different between them in future. Regardless, he now found himself rather looking forward to their next encounter.


End file.
